Coffer type ventilating ceiling structure



Jan. 31, 1967 G. K. RAIDER 3,301,163

COFFEE TYPE VENTILATING CEILING STRUCTURE Filed July 13. 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 EN 1 N VENTOR.

6901399 KEa defi lww ATTORNEYS Jan. 31, 1967 s. K. RAIDER 3,301,163

COPPER TYPE VENTILATING CEILING STRUCTURE Filed July 15. 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Jan. 31, 1967 K lD R 3,301,163

COFFEE TYPE VENTILATING CEILING STRUCTURE Filed July 13, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet. 3

' I N VENTOR, 21 7 fiearge 1Q. Eqzder [WW ATTORNEYS Jan. 31, 1967 G. K. RAIDER COFFER TYPE VENTILATING CEILING STRUCTURE Filed July 15, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEYS .Fan. 31, 1967 G. K. RAIDER 3,301,163

COFFER TYPE VENTILATING CEILING STRUCTURE Filed July 13, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I N VEN TOR.

W @M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,301,163 COF FER TYPE "ENTILATING CEILING STRUCTURE I a George K. Raider, Schiller Park, 111., assignor toThe Pyle-National Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey Filed July 13, 1964, Ser. No. 382,025 8 Claims. (CI. 9840) This invention relates to improvementsin false ceilings and more particularly relates to a ventilating and sound absorbing false ceiling structure in which cotter units form an entire false-ceiling structure "and may serve as ventilating, soundabsorbing and lightunits.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, individual coffer' frames, framing sound absorbing panels, in which certain of'the panels are'perforated to accommodate the passageof a-ir therethrough, and in which lighting fixtures may take the place of or maybe disposed beneath certain other of the panels are placed throughout an entire false ceiling structure and form a cotter ceiling, used for sound absorbing purposes as well as ventilating and lighting purposes. The perforated panels of the'cotter units may form the tops and sides of the units and can be used either for air supply or air return and may be connected with air supply and return ducts extending along the space above the false ceiling and beneath the ceiling of the room. The cotter units are readily adapted to any system of ceiling suspension.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a false ceiling structure in the form of a cotter ceiling in which the cotter units can be used for sounddeadening, ventilation and illumination of a room.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cotter ceiling having a plurality of cotter units, the tops and sides of which may be made from a sound deadening air dittusing material, for the passage of air therethrou-gh, for ventilating or air conditioning purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a grid structure suspended from a ceiling in which the openings in the grid structure form supports for cotter units spaced about the ceiling for the entire area thereof, and in which the cotter units serve as illuminating and ventilating units and may be used to supply air to and withdraw air from a room.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved cotter unit to be assembled to form a false cotter ceiling, in which the unit has a top surface formed of sound absorbing and air dittusing panels having perforations leading through the tops and bottoms thereof and enclosed at their top surfaces by plenums supplying ventilating air through the units.

A turther object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved form of cotter structure for assembly into a false ceiling in which the cotter structure includes a top wall and side walls formed from sound absorbing panels in which certain of the sound absorbing panels are perforated through the tops and bottoms thereof to accommodate the passage of air therethrou-gh and certain other of the panels are perforated along their bottom walls for sound absorbing purposes only and form reflectors for lighting units. Still another object of the invention is to provide a cotter unit having sound absorbing panels extending therealong perforated through the tops and bottoms for the passage of air therethrough, in which the sound absorbing panels are separated by a light fixture having a diffusion glass flush with the bottoms of the sound absorbing panels to enable the coffer frame to be used for both lighting and ventilating purposes. 7

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a cotter unit constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention looking at the top of the unit, with certain parts broken away and in section in order to illustrate the air dittusing means in the form of sound absorbing panels having perforations leading therethrough;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view illustrating a form of suspension means for the cotter unit from a ceiling;

FIGURE '3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic sectional view taken through the portion of a cotter ceiling and illustr'atinga form of cotter unit constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a'fragmentary perspective view with parts broken' away and shown in section in order to illustrate certain details of a sound absorbing and ventilating panel unit which may be used with the cotter unit;

FIGURE 5 is a generally diagrammatic fragmentary view o'fa vform of T-rail grid work which may form a support for the cotter units;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of cotter unit constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, and looking at the unit from the top thereof;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the unit shown in FIGURE 6 looking at the unit from the bottom thereof;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken through still another form of cotter unit constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; FIGURE 9 is a generally diagrammatic view diagrammatically showing a form of suspension means supporting the adjacent ends of the cotter units of FIGURE 8.

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating a modified form of cotter unit embodying a lighting fixture as a part of the unit between the sound absorbing and ventilating panels of the unit; and

FIGURE 11 is a generally diagrammatic view illustrating the suspension means for the adjacent ends of two cotter units and the air supply and return connections thereto.

The structure of the present invention is particularly adapted to be used in combination with the ceiling of a space to be ventilated. The exemplary disclosure described herein shows a false cotter ceiling construction in which the normal ceiling is shown in FIGURE 2 at 10 and a false cotter ceiling structure is shown generally at 11, and constitutes a plurality of individual cotter units 12 suspended from the false ceiling in end to end and side to side relation with respect to each other throughout the entire area of the ceiling. The cotter units may function as acoustical units, as air handling-acoustical units and as air handling-acoustical and lighting units.

Extending into the space between the ceiling 10 and the false ceiling 11 is an air supply duct 13, which is adapted to be connected to a suitable source of supply of ventilating air under pressure. Air return ducts may also be provided or the space between the ceiling 10 and the false ceiling 11 may be used as a plenum to return air to a temperature conditioning means or a ventilating source.

In the form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3, the coffer unit 12 is shown as being in the form of a rectangular open cotter frame 15, which may be square in plan view, where the cotter structure is used to form a cotter ceiling. The top of the cotter frame 15 is shown as being formed from angles having horizontal legs 16 and depending legs 17 extending angularly downwardly and outwardly therefrom. The horizontal and vertical legs join at the corners of the frame and angles 18 extend downwardly from the corners at the angles of the depending legs 17 and are connected together at their lower ends by metal strips 19 having inturned ends or flanges 20 (FIGURE 3) forming supports for acoustical side panels 21.

The side panels 21 extend upwardly along the angles 18 to the undersides of the horizontal legs 16 and are abutted at their inner sides by ventilating and acoustical panels 23, 23, having an acoustical panel 24 disposed therebetween. The panels 23 and 24 are suitably mounted on the depending legs 17 of the open cotter frame 15 and are supported at their inner ends on channels 25, 25, shown as extending across the open frame structure, and as being supported at their ends on the horizontal legs 16 thereof.

The channels 25, 25 are shown in FIGURE 1 as opening upwardly and as having eye-bolts 26, 26 and extending upwardly from the webs thereof, forming connectors for suspension members such as wires 27, 27 suspending the cotter frame from the ceiling in a suitable manner.

In FIGURES 3 and 5, I have shown a modified form of support for the coder frame which may be. in addition to the channels and suspension members 27 or which may form the entire support for the cotfer units. The support means shown in FIGURES 3 and 5 comprises a grid 29 formed from a series of T-rails welded or otherwise connected together and having vertically extending stems 31 having suspension members 32 connected thereto, for suspending the grid structure from a ceiling. The T-rails also have oppositely extending horizontal legs 33 extending in opposite directions from the bottoms of the stems 31. Each horizontal leg 33 is shown in FIGURE 3 as being engaged by and supporting an inturned end 20 of a bottom connecting strip 19. The T-rail grid structure thus may be suspended beneath a ceiling and extend for the entire area thereof and form a support for a plurality of individual coffer units enabling the cotter units with said T-rails to form a false cotter ceiling. The horizontal legs 33, 33 conceal the joints between the cotter units and the T-rail grid structure simplifies the assembly and disassembly of the coffer units.

It will be understood the T-rail suspension is only exemplary of one form of ceiling suspension which may be used to support the cotfer units. Other suspension systems can also be readily and advantageously employed.

The panels 21, 23 and 24 may be similar to the panels shown and described in application Serial No. 278,894, filed by Lester Burns and George K. Raider on May 8, 1963, and entitled, Combination Acoustic Ceiling Panel and Air Diffuser, now Patent No. 3,200,734, issued August 17, 1965.

A panel 23 is partially shown in FIGURE 4 as comprising spaced plate members 35 and 36 having a semirigid honeycomb core 37 disposed therebetween and secured to said plate members. Sound-deadening material (not shown) may be placed in the individual cells of the honeycomb core 37, to absorb the sound waves. The plate 35 is provided with a plurality of perforations 41 leading therethrough for absorbing sound. The plate 36 is provided with a plurality of similar passages or perforations 43 to accommodate air to pass therethrough and through the perforations 41 in the plate 35 and to be diffused as its passes through said perforations and honeycomb core and sound diffusing material container therein.

The panel 24 is like the panels 23 except the bottom plate only of said panel is perforated and the top plate forms a closure for the honeycomb core. Sound waves thus pass through the perforations, in the bottom plate (not shown) and honeycomb core, and strike the top plate of the panel (not shown) which acts as a sound deflector and deflects the sound back through the sound-deadening material in the honeycomb core toward the perforated bottom plate 35. The side panels 21, 21 may also be like the panel 24 and the inner plate portions only are.

perforated, the outer plate portions acting as sound wave deflectors.

A plenum 45 extends over the perforated portion of each top plate 36 and is in the form of a sheet metal structure having side walls 46 and end walls 47 extending downwardly from a top wall 48 forming the top of the plenum. An air duct 49 has communication at its lower end with an inlet fitting 50, forming an inlet opening through the top Wall 48 for supplying air to said plenum for discharge through the perforations 43 and 41 of the plates 36 and 35, for ventilating or heating and cooling a room. Valve means (not shown) of a conventional form may be provided in the inlet fitting 50.

While the two fittings 50 are described as inlet fittings, it should be understood that one may be an inlet fitting and the other may be a return air fitting, if desired.

Suspension bolts 51 are shown in FIGURE 3 as extending through the channels 25 and as having heads 52 abutting the Webs of said channels. The suspension bolts 51 may be at each end of each channel 25 to form a support for a lighting fixture 53 spaced beneath the panel 24 and diagrammatically shown in FIGURE 3 as being a fluorescent light fixture carrying two parallel spaced gas glow tubes 55 commonly called fluorescent tubes, mounted in the fixture at their ends, in a conventional manner.

The cotter unit 12 shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 may thus form one unit of the cotter ceiling and may supply ventilating air into a room and may also be used to illuminate the room. In certain cases, however, the fixture 53 may be dispensed with, in which case the panel 24 will serve merely as a sound-deadening panel, While the panels 23 will serve to supply air to the room or to supply air to and withdraw air from the room.

FIGURES 6, 7, 8 and 9 illustrate a form of cotter unit and support particularly adapted for air distribution, but which may also be used for lighting and air distribution. In this form of the invention, I have shown a rectangular cotter frame having a lower rectangular frame mernher 61 and an upper rectangular frame member 63 spaced thereabove and inwardly therefrom. The frame member 63 is supported on the frame member 61 by metallic corner supports 64 generally angular in form and converging toward their upper ends and extending angularly upwardly and inwardly from the corners of the frame member 61 and welded or otherwise secured at their ends to the frame members 63 and 61.

The frame member 63 has a vertically extending flanged portion 65 extending thereabont and forming a rectangular retainer for outer panels 66 and an inner panel 67. The rectangular frame member 63 also has an inclined flange 69 extending thereabout and angu-larly downwardly and outwardly therefrom at the angle of inclination of the corner members 64 and forming supports for side panels 70. The side panels 70 are supported at their lower end on angular lips 71 extending angularly inwardly and upwardly of the lower rectangular frame 61 and forming a part thereof and inclined at the angle of inclination of the inclined flanges 69. The lips 71 terminate at their lower ends into a horizontal support portions 73 for the colfer unit which in turn terminate in upwardly extending flanged portions 74 of the cotter unit. The horizontal support portions 73 are shown in FIGURE 9 as being supported on the oppositely ex-- The panel 67 may be like the panel shown in FIG- URE 4 and both the top and bottom plates of the panel are perforated to accommodate the passage of air therethrough. The panel 67 is shown in FIGURE 6 as having a plenum 79 extending over the top thereof and having a top wall 80 spaced above said panel. An air inlet fitting 81 is shown as extending upwardly of the top wall 80 and as having a flexible conduit 83 connected thereto and extending upwardly therefrom for connection with a source of supply of air under pressure, to supply air to the plenum 79 for discharge through the perforated sound-deadening and air diffusing plate 67. While the conduit 83 is herein described as being connected to a source of supply of air under pressure, it could a well be connected to a return to withdraw air from the room through the panel 67, plenum 79 and conduit 83.

In FIGURE 8, I have shown a section through the coffer structure of FIGURES 6 and 7 in which a top panel 85 is supported on the rectangular frame 63 and disposed at one side of said frame. The panel 85 may be like the panels 24 and 67 and the top and bottom plates thereof are perforated to accommodate the passage of air therethrough. A plenum 86 extends along the top of the panel 85 and has an air inlet fitting 87 leading thereinto for connection with a source of supply of air under pressure under the control of suitable valve means (not shown).

A side panel 88 is also shown as extending along one side of the frame and as being supported on the flange 69 at its upper end portion and on the lip 71 at its lower end portion. The side panel 88 may also have top and bottom perforated plates to accommodate the passage of air therethrough and has a plenum 89 extending thereover. The plenum 89 is shown as having an air fitting 90 extending from the outer side thereof and having a flexible conduit 92 having communication therewith and extending therefrom. The conduit 92 may be connected with the return for withdrawing air from the room.

It should be understood that while the panel 85 is described as an air supply panel and the panel 88 is described as an air return panel, that the panel 88 may be an air supply panel as well, while the panel 85 may be an air return panel. if desired.

In FIGURES 10 and 11, I have shown a fragment of a colfer frame 95 in transverse section. The coffer frame 95 like the coffer frames 15 and 60 is generally rectangular in form and has an open horizontal top portion 96 having side walls 97 extending angularly downwardly and outwardly therefrom. The side walls 97 terminate at their lower ends into a rectangular horizontally extending rim 98 having a flange 99 extending vertically of the margin thereof. In this particular form of the invention the side walls 97 are solid throughout the length thereof, although they may be formed to support sound absorbing panels as in the forms of the invention shown in FIGURES 1 to 9.

The open top portion 96 of the coffer frame 95 has spaced T-rails 100 extending thereacross. Each T-rail 100. as shown in FIGURE 10 forms a support for the inner end of an acoustical sound-deadening panel 101, like the panels 23, 85 and 88 and perforated on both sides thereof to accommodate the flow of air therethrough.

A plenum 103 extends across the top of the panel 101 and has an air supply duct 105 leading upwardly therefrom. The air supply duct 105 has a conventional air valve 106 mounted therein and adjusted by an adjusting screw 107. The air valve 106 includes a pair of wings 109 pivoted for movement about a common pivot pin 110 pivotally mounted at its ends in bracket members 111. The wings 109 are adjusted toward and from the inner periphery of the inlet fitting 105 to vary the air flow through said inlet by turning movement of the adjustment screw 107, as in the aforementioned application Serial No. 278,894.

The T-rails 100 also form supports for a light fixture 111a of the trofler light type having fluorescent tubes 112 extending along an inverted trough 113. A glass or lens 114 is supported beneath the fluorescent tubes 112 on support members 115 extending along the fixture 111 and suitably supported thereon at its ends. The support members 115 are spaced inwardly of the walls of the fixture to accommodate the flow of air thereby. The light fixture has an outlet opening 116 leading from the top thereof, which may be connected to a return duct (not shown) to withdraw spent air in the spaces between the support members 115 and inner walls of the fixture. A panel 101, plenum 103 and air supply fixture 105 may be mounted on the cofler frame 95 on the opposite side of the light fixture 111 from the panel 101 and plenum 103 shown in this figure.

As shown in FIGURE 11, support channels 117 extend across thetops of T-rails 119 and form supports for said raisl. Suspension means, such as suspension wires 121 are connected between a ceiling 123 and the support channels 117, to form a support therefor. The T-rails 119 in turn support coffer frames 95, 95 at opposite sides thereof. The air supply inlet 105 is diagrammatically shown in FIGURE 11 as being connected with an air supply duct 124, extending along the bottom of the ceiling 123, as by a flexible conduit 126. A parallel spaced air supply duct 125 extends along the bottom of the ceiling 123 for supplying air to a plenum 126 of a next a'djacent cofler unit 127. The duct 125 may be a return duct as well as a supply duct and may also have communication with a lighting fixture, like the troffer light fixture 111, if desired.

It will be appreciated that I have shown a number of forms and arrangements of coffer units which may make up a coffer ceiling and that certain units may be air supply units, while certain other units may be air return units and as in several of the present disclosures, certain units may be air supply units and air return units in addition to lighting units.

While I have herein shown several forms in which the invention may be embodied, it may readily be understood that various variations and modifications in the invention may be attained without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. For use in a ventilating system in combination with a wall or a ceiling of a space to be ventilated having an inner wall spaced interiorly of said wall or ceiling, said inner wall having a plurality of openings therein,

the improvement of a cofier type ceiling module for mounting in each of said openings,

each said module comprising upper and lower rectangular frames of complementary shape but of different size and legs disposed angularly therebetween at the corners thereof to secure said frames in firm assembly with one another,

a top panel in said upper frame, and

a panel in each side wall between said upper and lower frames, whereby said panels together with one another and said frames form an inverted recessed cofler unit adapted to form a ceiling component of a space,

each said panel formed by a flat member comprising acoustical material for absorbing sound from the space and having air passages formed therein over a substantial extent thereof for diffusion of air directly through said panels into or out of the space, and

means forming a ventilating circuit including said coffer unit and the space for directing air through said coffer type ceiling module as an air outlet to or an air return from the space.

b 2. The invention of claim 1 and further characterized a lighting fixture mounted on said top panel and positioned in the recessed coffer unit, thereby to adapt the coffer unit as a source of illumination for the ceiling construction.

3. The invention of claim 1 and further characterized y 

1. FOR USE IN A VENTILATING SYSTEM IN COMBINATION WITH A WALL OR A CEILING OF A SPACE TO BE VENTILATED HAVING AN INNER WALL SPACED INTERIORLY OF SAID WALL OR CEILING, SAID INNER WALL HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS THEREIN, THE IMPROVEMENT OF A COFFER TYPE CEILING MODULE FOR MOUNTING IN EACH OF SAID OPENINGS, EACH OF SAID MODULE COMPRISING UPPER AND LOWER RECTANGULAR FRAMES OF COMPLEMENTARY SHAPE BUT OF DIFFERENT SIZE AND LEGS DISPOSED ANGULARLY THEREBETWEEN AT THE CORNERS THEREOF TO SECURE SAID FRAMES IN FIRM ASSEMBLY WITH ONE ANOTHER, A TOP PANEL IN SAID UPPER FRAME, AND A PANEL IN EACH SIDE WALL BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER FRAMES, WHEREBY SAID PANELS TOGETHER WITH ONE ANOTHER AND SAID FRAMES FORM AN INVERTED RECESSED COFFER UNIT ADAPTED TO FORM A CEILING COMPONENT OF A SPACE, 